An authoritative voice has spoken in the Baylor School press room after the disappointing draw against Cape Verde to start.
Physical state: “I feel good. Today has been load management. Today was a day to lower load and stay inside.”
Cape Verde: “Each player has their own way of dealing with grief. There have been moments of swallowing the disappointment of not having gotten the three points. We are already thinking about what we have to improve.”
The idea of family: “I’m not one to send messages. The best message is to turn the situation around in the next game. In easy moments it is very easy to talk about family and in difficult moments it is when family comes to light. These hours I have seen the team very united.”
The union: “I see it as something natural. The history of the national team is always like that. The competitiveness in the team has to be positive to, together, raise the level of the group. A blessed problem for the coach to decide.”
The sub 21 of 2019 and start with defeat: “I’ve seen Luis very similar. There are always bumps in the road, but the important thing is how you overcome them. If there’s something that doesn’t suit us, it’s panic. Things are talked about inside so we can improve.”
New situation: “Something similar happened against Scotland, so we already have the experience… We are doing the same thing. We have the humility and confidence to be a good team. Tranquility is what prevails at this moment, you have to have a cool mind.”
The word mourning you used: “Maybe I haven’t expressed myself well. No one has died, it’s not mourning as such, but defeats can feel like that. Many times you don’t feel like talking to anyone, that’s why I’ve compared it to mourning. I’m one of those who likes to watch the game right away, but that doesn’t mean that’s the best.”
What went wrong?: “I think we have to wait for the coach and the analysts to find the key, but you never stop winning a game by doing everything perfectly. We have always wanted to improve. Luis, when we win, always says that it is very good; but you can always improve. We are self-critical even when we win, so…”.
Wake up call: “If there is one thing we have to do, it is to see the positive side of everything. Many very good stories have started like this. The last world champion started by losing against Arabia and ended up winning. We have room for improvement and room for maneuver.”
Lamine Yamal: “He is a special player. He is a different profile than the one on the field and that changes what the rivals did. This imbalance means that other players have more time and space in other parts of the field. With his level, Lamine can affect any game at any time.”
What happens in the World Cups?: “I don’t know. I see the team as always, I don’t think it’s something mental. Sometimes it’s simply the type of rival you face. The result is not always on your side.”
Changes in the group: “Now we have more experience, more years… It’s no longer Luis who always has to give us peace of mind. Because of one bump, everything doesn’t go to waste. We have to provide peace of mind.”
The physical state: “We are fine, yes. The data is there. In the heat it is more difficult, but the team is confident. We trust a lot in the national team’s physical trainers.”
The press conferences: “It’s part of the business. It’s part of why we charge what we charge. Because you’re here to create stories. There are people who will like it less and people who will like it more. It’s part of the circus, you have to live with it.”
The memory of 2010 and the defeat against Switzerland: “I haven’t talked about it with anyone, but nowadays a lot of things come to you. There are times when it’s better to escape a little”
Heat, humidity…: “It will be a World Cup marked by that. Let’s see which team best adapts to the temperatures, the time change, the fields…”
Faces in the locker room: “I see the team very similar to the one in the Euro Cup. It is important to have a high ego in the world of football. You have to feel good and important, but have the humility that this belongs to everyone. There are examples of people who have won a World Cup without playing a single minute.”
Uruguay-Arabia: “Yes, I was watching it. A very competitive match with two rivals who are going head-to-head and are going to make it very difficult for us. Arabia has a higher level than everyone can think. That we are all tied gives me the feeling that everything is starting again.”
How do you attack low blocks?: “The ideal way to break it is the one that allows you to win.”
Sadder Lamine Yamal?: “I have seen him well. He is smiling, charming, with jokes… It is going to be shared: that the young people give us joy and we give them seriousness.”
Hydration breaks: “There will be games in which they are necessary and others in which they are not. When it is hot, for the sake of success, it is good that people have a break to gain strength. But in closed stadiums I do not see it as positive. It will have a strong impact because it will serve to adjust things.”
Management of bad moments: “Everyone handles it in a special and personal way. It is difficult for me to digest the negative result in the first hours, but over the years I have understood that the sooner you get over it the better. This way you can focus on the next thing.”
